Today, Michael, Maggie and the senior class took a trip to the Piney River in the George Washington National Forest to release 200 trout fry. Maggie and the students carefully hatched and nurtured the trout in science class. The trout were transported to the river in two coolers. At the forest site, we met with Jason Hallacher, a biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He was very generous with his time and knowledge and we thank him. The students (carefully) took the trout down to the river site where the water was oxygenated and brought to the proper temperature for their release. While we were waiting for that, Jason used an electroshocker to catch some of the local fish so that we could learn about them. We learned about wild trout, a madtom catfish, shiners, a bluehead chub and most excitingly, a freshwater eel! Jason introduced the class to many interesting facts, such as: catfish are nocturnal, and the madtoms have a venomous gland at the base of their pectoral and dorsal fins that can inflict a painful sting. We also learned that freshwater eels travel all the way to the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean to mate, and then the females (like the one we saw today) return to the mountain streams to grow up. After lunch, the students released their trout in small batches, ate lunch, and wrote and drew in their science journals.
Joy & health to you all summer long!